Monthly Archives: May 2019

Back by popular demand (+ new work sneak preview! 👀)

Mini Sabbaticlas, New Products

I was on my mini sabbatical week this past week.

(What is it? I take every 7th week off to rest and recharge. The best self-care strategy I learned from seanwes.)

But I wrote this a week before, and I’m planning to spend my sabbatical week 1) reading the book, Profit First, to learn and implement the new accounting system for my biz and 2) making more art for the new collection.

Ok, ok, I can hear you saying, “But Yuko, you’re on sabbatical! Why are you working? 🤷🏻‍♀️”

To me, my mini sabbaticals are for doing things I don’t normally have time to do.

Sometimes that means I get to work on more big picture things for my business, like reviewing and revising my accounting system.

(Sounds boring? 😀 I used to think accounting was boring, too, but when I get to experiment with it and see how it impacts my business, it’s kinda exciting! 🤓)

And making art is fun and rejuvenating.

Sabbatical or no sabbatical.

I’m debuting my Fall & Winter Collection at the Urban Craft Uprising Summer Wholesale Show on June 24th, so I need to crack on.

(Someone’s been watching the Great British Baking Show, hasn’t it? 🥐🥖🥧)

I’ve made some designs already, but I need more to complete the collection.

I made a list – I need 8 more designs to be exact. Um, ok, that’s more than I thought I had to do 🙀😂

Most of my new designs need to be finished by the first week of June so I can send them to print, design my new catalog, and order postcards etc.

So, yeah, I really need to crack on.

(Gosh I love saying “crack on” so much!)

Since I don’t schedule a lot of other things during my sabbaticals, it’s a great time to focuse on art making.

If you were sad that I didn’t make 2019 monthly calendar, dry your tears because you’ll have one for 2020!

Here are some artwork for the new calendar 🥰

It’s going to be full of reminders for self-care and self-acceptance.

Why do I make these? Because I need to hear it the most. And it turns out, you do, too 😘

And the calendars are a great way to enjoy beautiful art and helpful reminders.

I love having a calendar poster this year – but it is fun to see new art every month, isn’t it?

It won’t come out till October, but I’ll share more previews between now and then!

Hope you’re as excited about this as I am ❤️

xo

🦙🦆🧁 Stock up on cards for dads & grads! 🦙🦆🧁

Shop, ,

If you celebrated Mother’s Day last Sunday, hope it was a good one!

I was at Fremont Sunday Market, and it was lovely to see so many customers hanging out with their moms/kids 💐

(or secretly picking out cards and gifts for their mom ❤️)

I had warm and fuzzy feelings all day long. It’s the BEST feeling.

Thanks for being a thoughtful human being 🤗

That reminded me I should let you know I have Father’s Day and Graduation cards for you.

Father’s Day is June 16th!

Don’t forget dog and cat dads 🐶🐱 I mean, how cute are these?? 😍

And this one is for those who lost their dad/child or are otherwise having a hard time around this holiday.

Life is not perfect, and I try to offer cards to express your empathy for your loved ones.

Reaching out to someone who is struggling can be awkward.

But your small act of kindness can help them feel less alone 💜

(that’s worth your awkwardness, right??)

Also, the graduation season is upon us!! 🎓

These adorable cards will cheer up any grads 😀

Love what you see?

You can grab them in my shop or pick them up at one of my shows and markets!

 

xo

ps. a quick reminder – prices of my 8×10″ art prints and wrapping paper rolls will increase on June 1st, 2019. If you’ve been eyeing them, now is the good time buy them.

It was meant to be

Growth & Development, Shop,

Hi friend,

Do you remember what I said my two goals were this year??

One of them was to hire help so I can serve more customers in person.

(And the other was National Stationery Show 2020. More on that later this year.)

Well, I’m checking that one off my list! ✅

Tada! Meet C.C., my new star helper! 🌟🌟🌟

I met C.C. last April and knew immediately I wanted to be her friend.

She’s a super talented knitter/knitwear designer who has published 3 knitting books and numerous knitting patterns. And she’s been podcasting with her daughter, Dami, for 7 years 👯‍♀️

C.C. has also been a big fan of Honeyberry Studios, so when she told me she was interested in helping out, I did a happy dance!

Last Saturday, she came to learn the ins and outs of running a booth at a craft fair. It became apparent in the first 5 minutes that she was a natural.

C.C. is so easy to talk to. She’s so friendly and helpful to everyone who walks into our booth, you just wanna chat with her and hang out!

(And, she’s obsessed with kitties 🐈 maybe a little bit more than I am 😺 if that’s even possible…)

This summer, I have a pretty full show schedule, and C.C. will be at a few of them to help you out 🌈

Please introduce yourself to her and make friends with C.C. when you see her at shows and markets!

(or at grocery stores, you won’t miss her bright pink hair 👩🏻‍🎤)

Yay! I’m so excited 🥰

xo

ps. you can learn more about each event and see most up-to-date calendar on my website!

All things that remind me of spring 🌸

My Thoughts, Shop, ,

It’s finally warming up a bit in Seattle.

Truth be told, I’m not a biggest fan of summer 😬 Mostly because our apartment heats up so much that this homebody gets pretty miserable staying indoors. I’m sticky and tired by late afternoon.

But spring.

Especially late spring when you don’t need a down jacket any more but you’re not sweating profusely walking around in the sun.

65F°, lightly cloudy, gentle breeze… That’s heaven for me.

You know, if I were a vegetable, I would be a lettuce. Not a tomato or cucumber. Just plant me in a cool shaded area. I’ll get bitter and go to seed as soon as the temperature goes above 75F°.

I often browse my website just to enjoy the cheerful artwork and daydream for a few minutes (that’s not weird, is it? 😝).

These are some of my cards that reaffirm my love of spring!

May the spring be always in your heart 🌸

xo